Hi all,
I'm Sharon, I'm 29 working as a nurse, married, living in Australia.
I was finally diagnosed with RA 2 years ago. I had been being unwell for a long time previous to this but not diagnosed or treated. It has taken me a long time to accept this, mainly because I was told over and over again it was in my head........ I have been on mtx, leflunamide and sulphanazine, which all worked for me in varying degrees. I have tried various other drugs with not much success. Not to mention prednisone and all the weight with it!
But things have improved, I have lost a lot of the steroid weight, learnt to deal with the pain (most but not all of the time) and I am concentrating on starting a family - which is how I found this site, looking for articles on pregnancy/labour and RA
Right now I am almost drug free - I am taking amitriptyline for pain, asprin and vitamins. And concentrating on non pharmocological things like heat/ice, relaxation and gentle exercise and lots of temper tantrums
I have to admit that I am finding it physically hard as I am going through an untreated flare but mentally I am in good head space, emotionally a little fragile from lack of sleep
I look forward to sharing experiences with you all, good and bad.
Cheers
Shaz